Calculate Asteroid Impacts! Understand Your Impending Death From Above!
Posted by Justin on November 5th, 2010
Curious as to how ruined our planet would be if Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck fail to push that massive asteroid off course? Worry no more! There’s a web app for that.
Ozzy Osbourne Redefines Genome Science
Posted by Justin on November 5th, 2010When legendary horse Secretariat died, the veterinary doctors performing the necropsy made a startling realization. There was a reason Big Red destroyed other horses en route to the most convincing Triple Crown win of all time, his heart was gigantic. Over twice the normal size for a horse his weight.
Genome scientists have made a similar discovery with Ozzy Osbourne, thankfully without The Prince Of Darkness having to croak first.
Simply speaking: he’s the Secretariat of drug users.
… the most notable differences in Osbourne’s genes had to do with how he processes drugs and alcohol. Genes connected to addiction, alcoholism and the absorption of marijuana, opiates and methamphetamines all had unique variations in Osbourne, a few of which Knome geneticists had never seen before.
“He had a change on the regulatory region of the ADH4 gene, a gene associated with alcoholism, that we’ve never seen before,” Conde told ABCnews.com. “He has an increased predisposition for alcohol dependence of something like six times higher. He also had a slight increased risk for cocaine addiction, but he dismissed that. He said that if anyone has done as much cocaine he had, they would have been hooked.”
They also found some Neanderthal DNA, because, well why not.
Air Force Researching Mind Warfare
Posted by Ryan on November 4th, 2010The human mind has no firewalls. Recently the 711th Human Performance Wing requested proposals examining “Advances in Bioscience for Airmen Performance” for advancing the deployment of extreme neuroscience and biotechnology warfare in the service of the Air Force.
But perhaps the oddest, and most disturbing, of the program’s many suggested directions is the one that notes: “Conversely, the chemical pathway area could include methods to degrade enemy performance and artificially overwhelm enemy cognitive capabilities.” That’s right: the Air Force wants a way to fry foes’ minds — or at least make ‘em a little dumber.
For any interested parties, the Air Force is warning the project “may require top secret clearance.”
[Wired]
Scientists Learn How To Erase Memory
Posted by Ryan on November 3rd, 2010
Researchers have discovered that they can permanently delete traumatic memories simply by removing a protein from the region of the brain responsible for recalling fear. The research focused on the nerve circuits in the amygdala where they tracked proteins before and after they scared mice with loud sounds.
“This may sound like science fiction, the ability to selectively erase memories,” says Huganir. “But this may one day be applicable for the treatment of debilitating fearful memories in people, such as post-traumatic stress syndrome associated with war, rape or other traumatic events.”
[Physorg.com via Kotaku]
Giant Sinkhole Opens In Germany
Posted by Bill Meeks on November 2nd, 2010Check out this huge, 20-meter deep sinkhole that opened up in that appeared overnight in Schmalkalden, Germany. Officials are unsure what caused the crater that took a car and parts of a garage, but say they plan to fill the gaping hole with gravel. Kind of boring if you ask me.
The Virus That Will Turn Us All Into The Walking Dead Zombies! [WeirdThingsTV]
Posted by Justin on November 2nd, 2010
Fruit Eating Kangaroo-Like Chupacabra Haunting Wisconsin
Posted by Ryan on November 1st, 2010
Residents in southeastern Wisconsin have recently been reporting sightings of a nocturnal creature invading their back yards. This photo was snapped by a woman as the creature sat in her back yard on its hind legs eating crab apples. The photo was sent to the The Wildlife in Need Center where a spokeswomen said that while it “may point to the existence of the elusive and legendary El Chupacabra residing in southeastern Wisconsin” it most likely is “a gray or red fox with Sarcoptic Mange, caused by an infestation of mites.” Many people were quick to label this creature a Chupacabra, but it has also been noted that this is not the first time kangaroo-like creatures have been reported in Waukesha County.
[JSOnline via American Monsters]
Man Sleepshoots Self
Posted by Ryan on November 1st, 2010
A Colorado man had a rude awakening when he kneecapped himself while sleeping.
Sanford Rothman, who lives on Mineola Court in southeastern Boulder, told police he woke up to a “bang” and discovered he was shot in the left knee. He said he did not have a clear recollection of the incident.
According to the police report no alcohol or drugs were involved, and nobody else was in the house at the time. Sleepshooting could be the next exciting chapter in the field of Parasomnia.
Great Apes Might Be As Smart As Humans
Posted by Justin on November 1st, 2010
It looks like we’ve misunderstood how smart great apes. Is this the beginning of the end for us?
Great apes might be much more similar to us — and just as smart — than science has led us to believe.
A new study will examine the extent to which common designs of comparative psychology research, which rates humans as more advanced than apes, are fatally flawed.
You maniacs! You ruined it!
Podcast: Room 717
Posted by Editor on October 31st, 2010
The team conducts an investigation in a haunted hotel room. Seriously spooky stuff happens to the so-called skeptics. Will they survive the night?
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Chatbot Fools Human Judge
Posted by Ryan on October 29th, 2010
Please introduce yourself to Skynet Suzette, the latest winner of the Loebner Prize. The Loebner Prize is a version of the Turing Test where a judge talks to both a computer and a human at the same time for a set interval and then chooses which one they think is human. Suzette was able to fool the judge into thinking it was human after a complete 25 minutes of conversation. No word yet on the human who failed to convince a judge they weren’t a machine.
New Scientist: Are you surprised that you fooled a human judge?
Suzette: No, I am not surprised.
Artificially intelligent AND cocky? I’m sure everything will turn out fine.
Airborne Rabies Would Create Zombie “Rage Virus”
Posted by Ryan on October 29th, 2010
According to the upcoming National Geographic documentary The Truth Behind Zombies, we may be a few mutations or lab experiments away from a full scale zombie apocalypse. If the rabies virus, which can cause violently mad behaviour, was combined with the ability of the flu virus to spread quickly through the air, it might be the right combination for our very own disaster.“All rabies has to do is go airborne, and you have the rage virus” like in 28 Days Later, Max Mogk, head of the Zombie Research Society, says in the documentary.
While it is not possible for two completely different viruses to hybridize naturally, the possibility exists that they could be genetically modified and combined in a lab. Also, Zombie Research Society!